A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Tokyo, Haneda Airport.

As Li Mu pushed his suitcase out, he looked at this city, one of the most economically developed in Asia and even one of the world's economic centers, with a lingering curiosity in his eyes.

And his gaze was mainly focused on the car.

Driving on the left... won't it be awkward?

Shift gears with your left hand and turn? Will your view be unobstructed?

"Sister Juan, are there any hot springs in Tokyo?"

Beside him, Fan Bingbing, who was also dragging a suitcase, asked the translator Liang Juan a question.

Liang Juan smiled and shook her head:

"In Japan, the concept of hot springs is not limited to natural hot springs. In China, public bathhouses are also called hot springs. Most of the natural hot springs are concentrated in Hakone."

"How far is it from Tokyo?"

"It's not far. Shall we make some plans?"

"Well……"

Fan Bingbing glanced at her boyfriend subtly, then smiled and said:

"We'll talk about it later. It's too late, let's go to the hotel first. Brother Li, what are you thinking about?"

Li Mu snapped out of his daze and shook his head:

"This city feels really new. Let's go."

"Um."

So the three of them headed to the parking lot and soon spotted a van with a Toyota logo... no, a minivan.

Li Mu felt that the car looked quite similar to a Jinbei van, but he didn't complain. With the driver bowing and scraping, he handed over his luggage and then got into the car.

After the driver got in the car, he rattled off a bunch of things, which Liang Juan translated. The gist of it was that he welcomed the two distinguished guests to Tokyo, that he was their driver for the next few days, and that they were about to depart for the Park Hyatt Tokyo, blah blah blah, and asked for their guidance.

After Li Mu responded politely, he thought to himself that she was quite courteous.

Then, the vehicle started off smoothly.

Looking at the night view outside the window, Li Mu said to his girlfriend beside him:

"Has your sister-in-law arrived yet?"

"We've arrived at the hotel. Our rooms are next to each other. Shall we go eat first?"

"Um."

The three of them had a fairly tight schedule in Japan this time. Lycra is a fabric produced by Invista, an American textile company. Although Li Mu and his girlfriend often talked about "Lycra fabric," it is actually a type of fiber. If this fiber were woven entirely into fabric, it would have a major drawback: it wouldn't be very durable.

Therefore, the current mainstream approach is to use a blend of nylon and Lycra. Lycra provides elasticity, resilience, breathability, and shaping capabilities, while nylon provides abrasion resistance, hand feel, and strength.

However, the key technology for this hybrid Lycra fabric is controlled by a few companies in Japan.

That's why I came to Japan.

There are several Japanese companies that can produce Grade A fabrics nowadays. My girlfriend wants to look at them all in the next few days and then choose one to discuss cooperation.

If you read quickly, then according to her, there's a possibility that she and her boyfriend might go to a hot spring together.

But Li Mu figured it was unlikely.

Discussing collaborations can easily take a morning or afternoon, but he doesn't have that much time; he can only stay for a day and a half.

"Hey, Brother Li."

"what?"

"Would you like to go check out Kabukicho?"

Suddenly, she threw out a deadly question.

Li Mu didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but asked curiously:

"Red-light district?"

"Um... Sister Juan, is Kabukicho fun?"

"Well……"

Liang Juan was momentarily speechless.

To be honest, she was initially a little gossipy when she saw this big star traveling with a man. But after Fan Bingbing's words, her first reaction was...

These two are probably not a couple.

Otherwise, why would a woman actively encourage a man to go to the red-light district?

But as a translator, she answered truthfully:

"That place... is known as a paradise for men. But... it's not really suitable for women."

"Oh! It's not suitable, but it's not forbidden, right?"

"……Yes."

"Hey Li, shall we go take a look? I don't even know what it looks like over there."

Looking into her sparkling eyes, Li Muxin said, "Why are you acting like a pervert?"

Well, it's necessary for Old Li to keep an eye on you and prevent you from doing anything reckless.

So he nodded:

"Sure. Sister Juan, shall we go take a look after we finish eating? Is it dangerous over there?"

"As long as you follow the rules and do what tourists do, there's really nothing wrong with it. There are also many Chinese people there."

After Liang Juan finished speaking, Li Mu nodded:

"Then let's go take a look."

Red-light district?

He was quite curious too.

……

After arriving at the Park Hyatt Hotel, which is said to be the most luxurious hotel in Tokyo, the couple received their pre-booked room key and saw Li Li.

"sister in law."

"Hello, sister-in-law."

Seeing the two of them greet each other separately, a strange look flashed in Li Li's eyes.

Although Bingbing had previously explained that the three of them were "independent individuals" because of the translator, Li Li still admired how naturally they could put on this act, thinking to herself that they were indeed actors.

So he smiled and nodded:

"Bingbing, Xiao Li."

"Sister-in-law, shall we go eat first? After we eat, Brother Li wants to go see Kabukicho, shall we go together?"

"Red-light district?"

Li Li was speechless for a moment.

Looking at Li Mu's "innocent" gaze, she knew what was going on.

I thought to myself that even if Xiao Li wanted to go, he would definitely do it secretly. The fact that he could do it so openly must have been Bingbing's idea.

But she still agreed, smiling:

"Okay. What shall we eat?"

"Sister Juan?"

Seeing that the employer was looking at her, Liang Juan quickly put her tour guide instincts to use:

"Sho, it's on the 40th floor. It's a restaurant specializing in high-end Japanese kaiseki cuisine. Or it could be New York Grill & Bar, a signature restaurant of the Park Hyatt, offering top-notch American and Japanese barbecue..."

"Let's go."

Fan Bingbing waved his hand.

Just kidding... If you want American food, wouldn't it be better to eat in New York than here?

Seeing that the employer had made a decision, Liang Juan led everyone directly to the 40th floor of the Park Hyatt.

I have to admit that Japanese cuisine is pretty much what Li Mu knew.

The bowls are large, the portions are small, and the atmosphere is very strong.

As for the taste...

Although Liang Juan explained that the philosophy behind kaiseki cuisine is to highlight the natural flavor of the ingredients—a very sophisticated form of expression...

But listen... "The original flavor of the ingredients".

Coincidentally not.

Li Mu, a native of Guangdong, ate this seemingly bland but actually quite flavorful dish. The sensations conveyed on his tongue prompted Fatty, a professional chef, to give his own evaluation after tasting it.

general.

While sharing some similarities with the light and simple tastes of the Cantonese, there are also significant differences.

If he really had to give a rating, his fairest assessment would be that they were evenly matched.

Kaiseki cuisine emphasizes the "appearance" of the ingredients, such as this eel ball soup.

Meatballs made from eel meat are served in a clear broth. However, once you taste them, the flavor is surprisingly rich and intense.

This is what is called "table". It looks very bland at first glance, but after tasting it, the flavor is actually quite rich.

Perhaps due to preconceived notions, Li Mu prefers the Cantonese style that emphasizes the essence of the ingredients.

If it's described as light, then it truly is light.

They win over diners purely by the firmness of the ingredients.

Savor it slowly, savor it carefully, and experience the flavor of the ingredients through each delicate interaction between your tongue and teeth...

For example, that ordinary white-cut chicken.

The texture of the chicken, its doneness, even the aroma of the chicken itself, and the subtle yet rich flavor that emerges when combined with the ginger paste...

He prefers this expression.

Instead of looking bland and tasteless on the outside, but turning into a torrent of flavor that explodes on your tongue after just one sip.

Of course, on the other hand, kaiseki is definitely not bad to eat; it just has a very interesting dialectical relationship with Cantonese cuisine.

It's edible, not bad.

I was quite satisfied with the meal.

Li Mu didn't offer any comments; he simply listened attentively as a tourist as Liang Juan explained kaiseki cuisine and some interesting anecdotes about Japan.

A meal for four people cost 160,000 yen.

It's alright, around ten thousand yuan.

It was worth it.

After finishing her meal, around 9 o'clock, Fan Bingbing, full of enthusiasm, immediately started clamoring to go to Kabukicho.

Okay, let's go then.

They got into the car driven by a driver named Sato, and the four of them headed towards Kabukicho.

In the car, Li Li was still chatting with Fan Bingbing about her recent work.

She has already taken classes at seven or eight different yoga studios by enrolling in classes.

That's what rich people do.

Running business?

That's too low-end.

I signed up for a class directly.

Once you become a student in a new yoga class, you'll immediately know the teacher, right?

After getting to know the teacher, once Fanli's yoga pants are finished, I'll take them to the teacher and tell her:

"Teacher, I'll sponsor you to set aside one or two days each week to teach yoga classes for your students, and I'll cover the expenses..."

See? Now you've opened up a new way of thinking.

Fan Bingbing nodded repeatedly as she listened, while Li Mu, sitting in the last row of the van, looked at Tokyo's neon lights, which even seemed a bit like light pollution, and marveled at the city's prosperity.

Then, as the car slowed down and finally came to a busy intersection, everyone noticed the sign for "Kabukicho Ichiban-gai" across the street.

We've arrived at Tokyo's most bustling red-light district.

Sato pulled over, and four people got out of the car, including Fan Bingbing, who was wearing a mask and a baseball cap.

Without prior arrangement, all three of them raised their gazes slightly, looking at the Kabukicho light sign that had a distinctly Japanese feel, as Liang Juan's voice rang in their ears:

"This is Kabukicho Ichiban-gai, one of Tokyo's most bustling streets. Kabukicho sees an average of nearly 300,000 people active every night..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

All three were somewhat shocked, looking at the not-so-wide street, and wondering in their minds where the so-called "300,000 people" were hiding.

As everyone knows...

The moment the three men got out of the Toyota Sienna, a car typically used in Japan to pick up high-end clients, several men in suits standing at the intersection of Ichiban-gai Street immediately set their sights on them.

When Liang Juan used a very professional tour guide gesture to point to the Kabukicho street sign and explain, the eyes of those men in suits lit up even more.

Some of the bolder ones have even gone out onto the street.

Just then, a middle-aged man wearing a high-end-looking suit, with a long face and meticulously styled hair, came out.

He spoke in Chinese to the men in suits next to him:

"I'll handle this; you guys might not be able to manage it."

Upon hearing his words, the other men in suits silently retreated.